A California woman has been charged with abandoning seven palm-sized puppies authorities say she threw in a dumpster on a hot day.
The Riverside County district attorney’s office on Wednesday charged 54-year-old Deborah Sue Culwell of Coachella with seven felony counts of injuring the 3-day-old puppies and seven misdemeanor counts of abandoning them. She could face a maximum seven years behind bars.
The case drew national attention after surveillance video showed a woman pulling up to a dumpster and casually tossing a bag carrying the puppies into the trash before taking off in a Jeep Wrangler on Friday.
Authorities posted the video in hopes of tracking the woman and say they found Culwell and arrested her Monday after searching the Jeep’s license plate.
It’s unclear if Culwell has an attorney. She has an unlisted number.